Padania | |
|---|---|
 Seal | |
 Map of the Po river basin. | |
 | |
| Country | Italy |
| Area | |
• Total | 124,000 km2 (48,000 sq mi) |
| Population (2014) | |
• Total | 27,800,000 |
| • Density | 220/km2 (580/sq mi) |
Padania (/pəˈdeɪniə/ pə-DAY-nee-ə, UK also /-ˈdɑːn-/ -DAH-,[1] Italian: [paˈdaːnja]) is an alternative name and proposed independent state encompassing Northern Italy, derived from the name of the Po River (Latin Padus), whose basin includes much of the region, centered on the Po Valley (Pianura Padana), the major plain of Northern Italy.
Coined in 1903 as a geographical term roughly corresponding to the historically Celtic land of Cisalpine Gaul, the term was popularized beginning in the early 1990s, when Lega Nord, a federalist and, at times, separatist political party in Italy, proposed it as a possible name for an independent state. Since then it has been strongly associated with "Padanian nationalism" and North Italian separatism.[2] Padania as defined in Lega Nord's 1996 Declaration of Independence and Sovereignty of Padania goes beyond Northern Italy and includes much of Central Italy, for a greater Padania that includes more than half of the Republic of Italy (161,000 of 301,000 km2 in area, 34 million out of 60 million in population).
Some Padanians consider themselves to have Celtic ancestry and/or heritage.[3][4]
- ^ "Padania"[dead link] (US) and "Padania". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2020-03-22.
- ^ Squires, Nick (2011-08-23). "Silvio Berlusconi ally says Italy 'condemned to death'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
- ^ Wills, Matthew (2019-06-19). "What Does It Mean To Be Celtic?". JSTOR Daily. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
- ^ DONADIO, RACHEL. "As Italy Government Totters, a New Power Broker Rises". Wilmington Star-News. Retrieved 2024-02-09.